Volvo EX30 Review 2025

The electric Volvo EX30 is the Swedish firm’s smallest car to date and the small electric SUV is designed with suburban dwellers firmly in mind. Does it have what it takes to rival the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3? Read on for our full Volvo EX30 review.

Get up close to the Volvo EX30 and it reveals itself to be a much more compact car than you expect. However, the angular external lines and trademark Volvo design touches leave you in no doubt of its Scandinavian origins.

Volvo has certainly done what it can to make this the most affordable model it has built to date. This does result in some compromises, but even so, the Volvo EX30 does make a tempting alternative to the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born.

It uses the same platform as the new (and ridiculously named) Smart#1, and also the Polestar 4, which strangely, is much larger. There's a choice of battery sizes and powertrain outputs, which range from muscular to monstrous.

This being a Volvo, the emphasis is on sensible thinking. Although the exterior is what you’d expect, the real surprises come from the interior, which fuses recycled materials and a focus on sustainability with a minimalist design vibe.

There is definitely much to like about the Volvo EX30. First of all, there’s the pricing, which is competitive and has the potential to offer Volvo ownership to a lot of people for whom the brand would perhaps have previously been out of reach.

There's also plenty of innovation. The infotainment in particular is very clever, maybe a bit too clever for its own good. There's very little switchgear inside the car, so pretty much all functions have to be operated through the central touchscreen. That makes the system very complex, and often baffling.

Having said that, there are several little design touches that really add to the appeal, such as funky storage areas and handy features such as the ‘Will it fit’ graphic inside the tailgate. These make the car fun, while being reasonably practical at the same time.

Volvo EX30: Range

Having been designed with city streets firmly in mind, it comes as no surprise to find that the Volvo EX30 is a cinch to get around town.

This is largely thanks to its manageable dimensions of 4.23 metres long, 2,03 metres wide (with mirrors, adjusted via the touchscreen, no less) and 1.55 metres high, while the car sits on a 2.65-metre wheelbase.

One thing that’s immediately noticeable is the steering, which is almost too light for its own good, but copes well in cramped spaces where you need to work the wheel. The steering wheel itself is a little bit of a curio too, feeling rather spindly. This compounds the lightness of the steering.

Nevertheless, the Volvo EX30 provides an engaging driving experience out of town as well, and feels perfectly at ease on country lanes and faster roads.

Engaging drive modes is done via a shifter on the right-hand side of the column, although Normal mode will be fine for most drivers. This shifter can also be flicked downwards to engage the One Pilot Assist to aid driving, mainly on more major roads.

This format is essentially the same no matter which of the three powertrains you’re driving and it’s all wonderfully effortless to use. What’s also immediately obvious, no matter which car you drive, is that power is plentiful, but the delivery measured.

Pick of the bunch is the rear-wheel-drive extended-range Volvo EX30, which has more than enough power to keep most people happy and proves very useful if you’ve got longer runs rather than just city routes in mind.

There is a trio of powertrain options to choose from for the Volvo EX30.

There’s a Single Motor rear-wheel drive, which uses a 51kWh LFP battery to drive a rear-mounted electric motor producing 272PS and 343Nm of torque. The 0-62mph time for this model is 5.7 seconds, while it has a 112mph limited top speed. 

The Single Motor Extended Range powertrain features a 69kWh NMC battery driving an electric motor at the rear. This has the same power and torque output as before torque, but the 0-62mph sprint time is still a little quicker at 5.3 seconds. The top speed remains the same, though.

Meanwhile, the Twin Motor Performance features electric motors front and rear (meaning that it's four-wheel drive), and these deliver 428PS and 543Nm of torque. It features the same 69kWh NMC battery pack as the Extended Range car.

With 0-60mph time arriving in 3.6 seconds, this is the most potent of the three, while top speed is again limited to 112mph. This kind of pace feels like overkill in a car like the EX30, though, so we'd stick with one of the more modest versions.

Volvo has always been associated with high levels of safety and the Volvo EX30 looks to be no exception. In fact, the car has been fitted with some of the latest driver aids, including the usual array of collision avoidance systems.

In addition, there’s a warning that alerts you if you’re about to open your door as a cyclist approaches.

Supplementing your driving is the Pilot Assist function, which is essentially adaptive cruise control that regulates your speed relative to the traffic around you, and gives steering assistance, plus conducts automatic lane changes when you flick a signal.

Similarly, Volvo’s Park Pilot Assist is designed to handle tricky manoeuvres into tight parking spaces by letting the car manage the accelerator, brakes and steering.

Despite its smaller size, the Volvo EX30 still has towing potential with a maximum braked towing weight of 1000kg.

While it’s largely good news for anyone who fancies the car as, perhaps, their first foray into the world of electric vehicles, the Volvo EX30 isn’t without a few niggles. These are mainly found hiding inside.

One of the least appealing aspects is the way that your speed is displayed on the central infotainment screen. There’s nothing immediately in front of you and no head-up display, either. This seems a little at odds with Volvo’s obsession for keeping you safe.

Ditto, the foglamp control, which is an on-screen icon buried within the menu structure, rather than being an easily accessed physical switch. Even adjusting the door mirrors has to be done using the central screen.

There are also the mildly irritating bings and bongs that emanate from the screen if the car thinks you’ve done something wrong, which it often does.

That said, on the whole, there’s more to like about the Volvo EX30's interior than dislike.

Yes much of the interior is fashioned from plastic, but the textures and colours of the various components have been used imaginatively: areas like the dashboard and door cards are made from plastic that is flecked with nuggets of recycled PVC windows.

This gives a lively interior feel that comes across as more sophisticated than you’d expect. It also feel durable and ready for the challenges coming its way from smaller family members.

Naturally, there are plenty of features and functions that lend the Volvo EX30 an innovative feel, too. One of the most curious is the mid-mounted glovebox in the dashboard (rather than on the passenger side as normal). However, it's so small that it's literally only good for gloves, and again, you have to open it using the touchscreen.

Elsewhere, though, storage locations for everyday things like water bottles and general stuff are generously peppered throughout the Volvo EX30, with a neat central area proving perfect for large mugs.

Oddly enough, you’ll find the electric window buttons here, too (finally some buttons, hooray!), and there's a handy smartphone area down under the dashboard.

The back seats are a rather less roomy than the front ones, but there’s enough space for smaller folk. Long-legged adults, though, might have to ask those in the front to shift their seats forwards a bit to be comfortable enough on a motorway trek.

Likewise, the boot space isn’t huge, although Volvo’s etched ‘Will it fit?’ graphic inside gives some handy hints on what will go in between the narrow tailgate edges and what will not.

Cargo space can be boosted by dropping the back seats, from 318 litres up to 904 litres.

The Volvo EX30 is available in three equipment grades – Core, Plus and Ultra – and all get a 12.3-inch touchscreen as the centre of attention.

The quality of this component, and everything else around it, feels quite premium. Some of the plastic trim found elsewhere is rather less inspiring, but the overall feeling you get being inside the Volvo EX30 is one of quality and solidity, with the supportive seats being a standout feature.

Centre of attention is the mid-mounted 12.3-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen, which dominates the dashboard and contains most of the features and functions offered by the Volvo EX30.

In fact, there’s not much that can be done without it, so everyday necessities like being able to adjust the door mirrors must be done via the screen rather than old-school buttons or switches.

Curiously, even the decidedly compact central glovebox is opened using a button on the screen.

Aside from some of these quirks, though, the screen looks great with crisp and clear graphics, and it all operates with swift Scandinavian efficiency.

That said, the Volvo EX30 employs Google for much of its functionality, so your nav is powered by Google Maps and your voice control by Google Assistant. Wireless Apple CarPlay is a highlight, too.

Another innovation is the Harman Kardon soundbar that snuggles into the top of the dash in front of the windscreen. This is the only audio source you get in the Volvo EX30, but the quality of its construction means the sound it delivers is excellent.

Better still, the space saved by not having speakers in the doors offers up improved storage, so it actually makes an awful lot of sense.

Perhaps due to the sheer amount of competition it faces, the Volvo EX30 is keenly priced, helped greatly by the introduction of a cheaper entry-level Core model some time after the car's initial launch.

The last time we checked prices, the Single Motor version started at around £31,500, the Single Motor Extended Range model around £37,000, and the Twin Motor Performance model around £41,000. But to be honest, it’s the Single Motor Extended Range car that feels like the best of the bunch.

Obviously, charging will be your greatest daily cost, and if you do it at home, the EX30 should be very affordable to run. If you pay for your domestic electricity at the UK's national average rate, then a full charge of the smaller battery will cost you around £14, while cars with the larger battery will cost around £19 to refill. And obviously, that much less than the cost of a tank of petrol or diesel.

The truth is that most EV owners get themselves on a tariff where they pay even less for off-peak electricity, and then charge their car overnight at the discounted rate. Follow their lead, and you could easily cut those charging costs in half, maybe more.

By contrast, using public DC rapid chargers on a regular basis will see your charging costs skyrocket. The power that comes out of these is often around three time more expensive than domestic power, sometimes more. For that reason, we'd only rely on such chargers in an emergency.

Volvo EX30: Charging times and range

Public charger costs are rising, which is in turn pushing people towards leaner, more efficient EVs.

To its credit, Volvo reckons the EX30 can manage 3.7 miles per kWh for the single motor models and 3.6kWh for the Twin Motor Performance edition, which is very respectable.

In terms of overall range, the official figures state a range of 209 miles for the Single Motor, 296 miles for the Single Motor Extended Range, and 279 miles for the Twin Motor Performance.

Volvo has also designed the EX30 to be ideally suited to owners with a home charger, with battery sizes that can be easily replenished whilst plugged in overnight. So, for example, overnight charging using a standard 7kW home charger should be in the region of 11.5 hours for cars with the larger 69kW battery. It’ll take around 9.5 hours for the smaller 51kW battery pack.

Cars with the smaller battery have 150kW DC rapid charging capability, while cars with the larger battery can charge at up to 175kW. Both will charge from 10-80% in less than half and hour.

The Volvo EX30 is offered in three equipment grades: Core Plus and Ultra.

The entry-level Volvo EX30 Core trim comes with features including:

• LED headlights with adaptive high beam
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Front- and rear parking sensors
• Climate control
• Textile and synthetic leather upholstery
• The full suites of infotainment and driver assistance tech

To that roster, Volvo EX30 Plus trim adds:

• Puddle lights
• Power tailgate
• Rear USB-C ports
• Wireless phone charging
• Harman Kardon stereo
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel

The range-topping Volvo EX30 Ultra trim adds:

• Rear automatic braking
• Park Pilot Assist
• 360-degree camera
•  Panoramic roof
• Powered front seats
• Heat pump